Dressed to Kill
by silvermyth
Summary: "What're you going to be for Halloween?" Despite his outward attitude, Roxas didn't mind Halloween much. It always meant a slew of horror movie marathons, candy stolen from Axel, and Axel's elaborate pumpkin-carvings. He wasn't keen on the idea of dressing up, but Axel was bound to drag him along to Sora's party, anyway. Written for AkuRokuRiSo Month!


_Prompt: Halloween_  
 _Prompter: theisrealproject107 (I'm pretty sure this wasn't what you had in mind when you gave me this prompt but...consider this retaliation for Water, I guess?)_  
 _Rating: M (for Morbid, because holy crap, Axel)_  
 _Word Count: 3065_

"Hey, Roxas!" Axel leaned across the couch to peer at his friend.

The blond flicked his eyes up from his paperback novel. "Hey Axel." He didn't bother to conceal the annoyance in his voice, since his friend knew very well how he felt about being interrupted.

And Axel didn't waste any effort looking contrite. Instead, a wide smirk spread over his features. "What're you going to be for Halloween?"

Roxas glared. "What are you, five? Wait, no, don't answer that. Unlike _some_ people, I'm too old for that crap." He turned his eyes back down to his book.

It was in vain, of course, because once Axel started flapping his jaw, there was no stopping him. "Oh, come on, Rox, there's no such thing as _too old_! Dem's hosting a costume party this year, so everyone else is dressing up. And you can't go unless you have a costume."

The book closed with an audible snap. "So you want me to dress like an idiot to go to a party full of kids. No, thank you." A little scowl crossed his face.

"Are you sure? Demyx just bought a whole bunch of classic horror flicks…" Axel knew the offer would be tempting, because among Roxas' weaknesses were pulp fiction and bad horror movies.

Roxas' scowl deepened. "Yeah, and?"

And in particular, what Roxas loved best, to seal the deal: "There will be lots of Vincent Price and Bela Lugosi." Axel bobbed his head for emphasis, green eyes wide.

Roxas considered this for a few moments. "I'll go. But it's for Bela and Vince!" Axel nodded in agreement. "So, fine. What are _you_ going as?"

"Why, Roxas, I'm so happy you asked!" Axel's voice dropped to take on a somber tone. "I shall be Death on All Hallow's Eve." The theatrics earned him a smack from Roxas' book. "Ow! What was that for?" He grinned and rolled off the couch to avoid a second blow. "You're so violent!"

"Only because you're so annoying." Roxas crossed his arms with a huff.

Axel leaned over. "So? What are you going to be?"

Roxas shrugged. "I gotta think about it."

Axel placed a large hand over gelled spikes. "I knew you'd see things my way." Roxas batted the hand away with a grumble.

Despite his outward attitude, Roxas didn't mind Halloween much. It always meant the slew of horror movie marathons, candy stolen from Axel, and Axel's elaborate pumpkin-carvings. He wasn't keen on the idea of dressing up, but Axel was bound to drag him along to Demyx's party, anyway, and if he didn't come up with a costume on his own, the redhead would probably choose for him. And knowing him, it wouldn't be fun for Roxas. So, the idea was to find a costume that would take little effort but still capture the mood of the holiday.

It wasn't long before he had one in mind. A quick stop at the local pharmacy to stock up, and he was done.

o - o - o

A week later, Roxas stared at his reflection, adjusting ace bandages. Tufts of blond hair poked out of hastily-wrapped gauze, and there really hadn't been enough of it to completely cover the cotton pants and t-shirt he wore underneath, but he figured it was enough to get the gist. Besides, a shambling mummy wouldn't have pristine bandages. He still wasn't thrilled with the idea of dressing up, but Axel had insisted. As much as he huffed and hawed about his redheaded friend, he enjoyed the man's approval. Maybe even more than he cared to admit.

Roxas made a final adjustment to a trailing bandage and shuffled back into his room. He made a final check for his wallet and phone, and headed towards the door. Axel was supposed to meet him in just a few minutes, so he planned to meet him down in the lobby but he'd only made it halfway across the living room of his small apartment when there came a knock at the door. He didn't have to look through the peep-hole to know who it was; Axel had impeccable timing, as per usual.

Roxas opened the door, and his eyes widened as he took in the tall figure on the other side. Axel had already told him he'd be dressing up as Death, but the costume somehow…seemed like more than a costume on him. Axel had always been on the lanky side, but looked even more slender in the floor-length black robe. His gloved hands looked thinner, too, clutching a pair of large, spiked wheels. The hood was drawn back, for the moment, but Axel had done his face in make-up, to give it a skeletal cast. His red hair was gathered in a loose queue instead of his normal cascade of spikes, and it looked blood-red against the black and white.

"Good evening, Roxas." He used the same somber tone that he'd used when announcing the costume, and even his smile was a little muted.

Roxas frowned. "You sure went all-out. Also, those are totally not scythes."

Axel extended one of the wicked things, giving it a spin for Roxas' benefit. "I thought I'd go for something different for reaping, you know? Everyone does scythes. Me, I'm digging these, they just scream _Axel_. Hey, you don't look half-bad, yourself. I've always liked mummies; the Ancient Egyptian's beliefs about life after death, and all that? Always a favorite."

Roxas snorted. "I just threw this together in like, five minutes. I wasn't really thinking about it so deeply."

A raised red eyebrow. "I'm sure." He adopted a patronizing tone. "It shows, you know. I said you don't look half-bad. Because you look _all_ bad." Roxas made to punch him, but Axel stepped out of reach. "No, don't touch me! I'm Death, you'll die!" His voice still had that somber quality, even with the note of playfulness in it, and the small laugh that followed.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"No, you're right, I don't think it works quite like that. So, never fear, fair Roxas! I shall not kill you with just a touch!" He punctuated the exclamation with a lopsided grin, and when Roxas batted at him a second time, his hand made contact with a black-clad shoulder.

He'd never had anything to fear from his friend, so the sentiment was a little ridiculous. But then, that was Axel.

Still, as they set out, Roxas felt a little chill down his spine him that had nothing to do with the cool autumn air. Axel walked at his side, falling into a thoughtful silence. He'd thrown the hood up, casting his features into deep shadow and making his face a veritable skull, green eyes vibrant despite the growing darkness. He was quiet and graceful, his weapons slung over a shoulder, as he stalked Roxas like true Death. It was so unusual from his normally talkative self, and they'd only made it about halfway to their destination before Roxas decided that enough was enough.

"Dude, knock it off," Roxas muttered. "You're freaking me out."

Axel offered a thoughtful hum. "Isn't that the point?" Roxas gave a halfhearted shrug. "Personally, I think if Death was trailing my heels I'd be a little freaked out. But," Axel lowered his hood, "it's just me, Roxas." Another of those muted smiles, and something in those green eyes made Roxas pause mid-step. But he dismissed it and kept moving. "Anyway, if you think about it, Death follows you all your life, right? Because what's life without death?"

Roxas spared a glance for the dark figure next to him. "What's with the philosophy all of the sudden?"

Axel shrugged. "Must be the outfit. But I mean, think about it, wouldn't life be pretty boring without mortality? Just continuing on and on, with no end, no real danger. Mountain climbing without the potential of death, what's the point?" Roxas thought he caught a hint of melancholy in the question, but maybe it was just the atmosphere. "Just, it must suck for Death himself, right?"

Roxas decided to humor the strange mood that had hit his friend. "Yeah, I guess."

"He gets really lonely sometimes, too, I think." This time Axel's voice definitely sounded a little sad, but after just a beat, he added, "Maybe he likes to hang out with people to make it a little less lonely!"

Roxas stopped and turned to his friend. "You've really thought about this a lot, haven't you?" A shrug from Axel. "It's a bit morbid."

"I'm telling you, it's the outfit!" Axel made a gesture to indicate the long robe. "Once I put it on, it was like, bam! All I could think about was death."

Roxas raised his eyebrows at that. "Because you totally didn't think about it _when you picked the damn thing out_." Axel offered a sheepish smile. "Uh huh. Right." He pivoted on his heel and continued the trek to Demyx's. A little voice in the back of his mind was telling him that, yeah, it was a bit weird, but Axel looked kind of really good in the get-up. Except, with Axel at his back, that creeping feeling had returned.

It followed him through the night, the prickling feeling along his spine, the hair raising along his neck, every time he turned his back to Axel, until finally he made sure that the redhead was in his sight at all times. Not that he minded, keeping his friend at least at his peripherals, but it was…strange. But then, Axel had been _acting_ strange all night, at least to Roxas. Once they arrived at Demyx's, he was all wide grins and laughter, the usual, animated Axel he was used to. To _them,_ anyway.

There was a distance between them, tonight, and it bothered Roxas. He wasn't terribly social to begin with; sure, he could be friendly, but tonight he was much more content to stuff his face with popcorn and candy, his attention on the exaggerated black and white scenes of his favorite horror movies. He still watched Axel's movements from the corner of his eye, the black and red figure looking more alive in here than he had outside.

Dem, Axel, and some of the others had begun answering the door for trick-or-treaters when a sullen Zexion, settled on the other end of the couch. Roxas spared the other a withering glance: he was dressed as Einstein, complete with a fluffy wig. It fit, since the reason they'd never really gotten along was mostly because Zexion was a little too smart for his own good. He'd criticized Roxas' choice of literature once, they'd had some words, and barely spoke after that. But then, they had moments like these. The two of them, so distant from each other, yet they shared these little moments of isolation, quiet and alone, separate from the larger group.

Zexion's voice was soft in the din around them. "You seem a little different today."

Roxas fidgeted with a loose bit of bandage, eyes already back on the flickering TV. "I'm in costume?"

Zexion narrowed his eyes. "It's not that." Roxas only caught the way the other glanced at Axel because he still had the redhead fixed into the corner of his eye. "You two…" Zexion trailed off. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Of course, Roxas couldn't forget. With his mind already focused on his black-clad friend, he picked and worried, wondering what Zexion might have meant by "you two." They finished the movie without another word passing between them, and Roxas decided that was his cue to leave. Axel still practically ignoring him, and he really had only come at his friend's insistence. Even if these were his friends, too, he'd been in a dark mood, filled with foreboding, ever since Axel had pulled that deep hood over his head. Solitude was sounding more and more appealing as the night wore on, so he quietly slipped out the door, not bothering with a good-bye.

The eerie feeling he'd had all night lifted almost as soon as the door closed behind him, and Roxas breathed a sigh of relief. He wandered without direction. He breathed in the crisp air, crunched fallen leaves, and let the wind blow him where it would. It was serene, just to be out walking, and a smile finally curled his lips as he enjoyed the night. There were still a handful of children tramping around in costumes, stragglers trying to get the most out of the candy offerings before the night officially ended, but he avoided them, crossing to the other side of the street to avoid them.

He was halfway across when he heard Axel's voice calling from behind him, and whipped around. There was a glimpse of exaggerated features under the shadow of the hood, a hint of sadness in green eyes. The lowering shoulders of a deep breath released in a sigh, just before one of those strange spiked wheels spun out across the road. He watched, enrapt, as the thing sped past, between him and an oncoming car. His eyes caught on the headlights, helpless as the vehicle barreled towards him. For just a moment, time stood still.

He forgot himself in that instant.

There was a screech, a crunch, and wet-sounding series of thuds. And then screaming, suddenly, as if from a long distance, and Roxas tried to turn his head toward the sound. It was probably just one of those Halloween soundtracks, but it still made his skin crawl.

More than crawl even. It made his skin _hurt._ And his throat, that was an agony. He couldn't turn his head to the sound because it wouldn't-

Everything was red, pain, so much—he wanted to scream, to escape, somehow separate from it, but he couldn't. His breath came in ragged gasps, his whole being thrilling with fear, and he couldn't find the source, it was all confusion and hot, piercing pain.

But he was screaming. He'd figured that much out, the wails that were tearing his throat raw, already becoming weaker, soft cries, and even those hurt.

"Please." Roxas' voice came out as a whimper as he stared ahead. It was blurry, but he registered the blacktop digging into his face, something glistening, and he was panicking, because his mind was trying to catch up. The screech of tires, the blinding impact.

He couldn't move, couldn't think beyond wanting it to stop. Wanting the coldness that was spreading over him to numb him, because even that was better than—than—

He didn't even have a word to describe the intensity of it.

He didn't see the tall figure looking down on him, had already forgotten that Axel had been there, just on the curb. Dressed in the black he'd avoided for so long, features hidden deep in his hood, Death took in the blood running away from Roxas' crumpled form, carrying his life away with it. All the bandages he'd wrapped himself in for his costume, and more, would do him no good, now.

Axel had known it was coming, had tried to distance himself at the last minute, but even that couldn't stop the sharp grief he felt at his task. Kneeling, he threw back his hood to let Roxas see him. He had to turn the bloodied head a little, and he knew it was painful for his friend, but. He had to make sure Roxas saw.

Roxas stared ahead, eyes clouded with pain and little cries falling from his lips. But his eyes took on a clarity when Axel came into his line of sight, even through the red of blood running into them.

Axel brushed the blond hair back with a gloved hand and shushed him, soothed him with a low murmur. "It's okay, Rox. It's just me." He offered Roxas a forlorn smile. "It's not time yet. Just bear it a little longer, my sweet." Green eyes flickered to measure the progress of blood seeping away. If he had a choice, he would end it now, but there was an order to things. To take him too soon would leave him prone to creatures that waited just outside of sight, ready to devour the newly freed soul. So he let the death run its course, hating every bit of the pain it caused his friend.

Axel knew better than to flirt with life. It always ended the same way. But Roxas, he'd had those blue, blue eyes, and Axel found himself fitting into the blond's life so easily. It was so nice, to pretend to be human, for a little while. So good to feel the budding interest in Roxas' heart, that made him feel something, himself. He'd even let him see his real face, under the guise of a Halloween costume, but it was…something. If only he'd had more time.

But wasn't that always the case?

Death wasn't allowed to have a heart, to live a mortal life. Death went on and on, with no end in sight. Death was lonely, and tired of it. He wanted to be Axel, to live a little longer with his precious Roxas.

Axel ducked closer, and placed a chaste kiss to a blood-soaked temple. He couldn't rob Roxas of his mortality, the thing that had made his life meaningful, couldn't deny him a release from pain that he was scheduled for. It was out of his hands, anyway. If not him, then another; it would be a much less pleasant fate, to be taken away from life by one of _those things_. So with a gentle touch, he reached out and snuffed the final spark of life. _Right on schedule._

Roxas parted from his body readily. He'd meant to—to do something, he couldn't remember, but it was unimportant now. His soul unconsciously knew the touch of Death, longed for it. It was better than that excruciating pain. Roxas glanced around himself in a daze, seeking to anchor himself, when his eyes caught on a familiar sight.

"It's okay, Roxas. It's just me." There was no smile on Axel's face now, sad or otherwise, just a look of surprise when Roxas reached for his hand. There wasn't a glimmer of fear in those bright blue orbs, not even uncertainty.

"Yeah, I know."

 _Maybe things could change_. Axel gripped the smaller hand with a new determination.


End file.
